Violent Video Games Induce Agressive Behaviour in Adolescents
Shivani Handa
Individual Research Assignment
CCtT 205
Violent Video Games Induce Aggressive Behaviour In Adolescents Violence in video games has come under increasing research attention over the past decade. Researchers have suggested that violent games may cause aggressive behaviour among game players. In the past three decades there has been a widespread expression of concern about violent video games. Violent video games have been suggested as potential contributing factors in recent school shootings by adolescent males who played violent video games prior to committing these crimes In the past thirty years video games have had severe influences on leisure time of people. First generation video games consisted of mere geometric shapes, which were fully and easily controlled by the game player example ‘Tetris’. However when Sony introduced the play station series in the 1990`s a whole new era of perception of first and third person violence, through enhanced graphics boomed. With the play station portable device and Xbox 360 violent games like Call of duty and Gears of War respectively became more indispensible than i-pods, for adolescents. Adolescence is a time of vulnerability. Due to difficult coping response to physical and emotional biological changes, adolescents are easily influenced by their environment, and peers. The GAM (General Aggression Model) states that violence from video games affects the internal processes of our minds, and leads to decision process that ultimately leads to expression of aggressive behaviours. Violent games induce more aggression in adolescents (Koojmans 2004) Aim of the rest of the paper is to explore the studies that test the hypothesis that violent games induce aggression in adolescents, and report their results and findings. Several psychological theroies are also relevant to possible role of video game violence in adolescent aggression. An example of this is the social learning theory by Bandura. Albert Bandura`s social learning theory states that children learn what behaviours are appropriate and rewarding in a given situation through observation and reinforcement. For example a child playing an aggressive video game may learn that hitting or even shooting another person is appropriate in a conflict situation and this kind of aggression is likely to be reinforced, when the child is rewarded in the game for expressing aggressive behaviour like killing a character with a chainsaw. (Dill & Dill 1998) Another study proposes the use of GAM to explore various affects on hostility, physiological arousal, and state aggression in those who played a violent video game with varying levels of blood (maximum, medium, low) in a video game. Researchers conducting this study hypothesized that those who play violent video games with greater level of blood involved will show an increase in aggressive behaviour as opposed to those who are not exposed to a high level of blood content in the game. They tested their hypothesis on a sample of adolescents. Their analysis and results support their hypothesis. The GAM states that personality characteristics such as exposure to violence and situational factors example playing a violent video game influence an individual’s internal state variables like physiological arousal, feelings and thoughts. All these internal state variables lead to prediction of expression of aggressive behaviours. (Barlett 2008). There are also other moderating factors involved in this research which include adolescent thoughts like adolescents who wished they could be characters in video games who indulged in violent play were more aggressive than other game players. Also parent child communication had an impact on adolescents who played violent games. A good health parent child communication, helped adolescents differentiate between the video gaming world and real world, and they realized aggression in real is inappropriate. These moderating factors are discussed in the following paragraphs. A group of researchers conducted a two year longitudinal study to determine the significance of sex, age, and parent child communication as moderators of direct aggression in violent video games. They picked a sample of 316, 12-15 year old Finnish adolescents to do a follow up survey. Results of their experimentation supported their studies. There was found to be a direct link between poorer parent child communication and higher level of aggression in adolescents. The researchers also found that aggressive behaviour peaked during adolescence and especially more in 13 -15 year old boys engaging in violent video game play. Overall the pattern of display of aggressive behaviour was similar in boys and in girls. Limitations of these studies include over dependence on self reports which challenge the accuracy of the data. However results of the studies are also suggestive that although poor parent child communication strengthens negative affects of aggressive behaviour in adolescents, good parent child communication does not particularly prevent aggressive behaviour. (Wallenius & Punamäki, 2008) The desire to be associated with violent characters in video games like gears of war, and call of duty, also induce aggressive behaviours in video gamers. Dutch adolescent boys with low education ability (N = 112) were randomly assigned to play a realistic or fantasy violent or nonviolent video game. Next, they competed with an ostensible partner on a reaction time task in which the winner could blast the loser with loud noise through headphones (the aggression measure). Participants were told that high noise levels could cause permanent hearing damage. Habitual video game exposure, trait aggressiveness, and sensation seeking were controlled for. As expected, the most aggressive participants were those who played a violent game and wished they were like a violent character in the game. These participants used noise levels loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage to their partners, even though their partners had not provoked them. These results show that identifying with violent video game characters makes players more aggressive. Players were especially likely to identify with violent characters in realistic games and with games they felt immersed in. (Konijn,Bijvank, & Bushman 2007) Video game play also varies across adolescence. Some adolescents are more prone to get influenced by violent video games at a certain phase of development, which is different on an individual basis. Also adolescent boys indulge more in violent video game play than adolescent girls. Research shows that adolescent boys display direct aggression and adolescent girls show indirect aggression. Violent video game play coincides with phase of aggressive behaviour in adolescence. Alternate theories even suggest that because adolescents get aggressive, they prefer more aggressive activities; hence they choose to play violent video games. Researchers tested for direct and indirect aggressive behaviour in 11, 14, and 17 year old adolescents in two different conflicting situations. Consistent with gender differences they found that males display more direct aggressive behaviour and females display more indirect aggressive behaviour (Kirsh 2003). Similar to Barlett (2008), Kirsh (2003) uses GAM to explain the consequences of violent video game play as a function of development in adolescents. An updated meta-analysis reveals that exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and cardiovascular arousal, and to decreases in helping behaviour. Experimental studies reveal this linkage to be causal. Co relational studies reveal a linkage to serious, real-world types of aggression (Anderson 2004). Overall most researches modulate different independent variables in their study to understand the relation between playing violent videogames and their impact on aggressive behaviour in adolescents. The results of all these studies are consistent based on gender, and culturally across the span of adolescence, and affirm that violent video games induce aggressive behaviour. There is not ample evidence on the influence of violent videogames as a function of development changes across adolescent stages, because it is a recent research topic. Future research should focus on this development perspective which is impacted by extensive playing of violent video games. This is crucial as it helps in understanding the casual relationship between video game violence and adolescent aggression, since aggression varies across different stages of adolescence. The next steps should focus on gathering data, and conducting studies which explore a new technology in violent video gaming which involves multiplayer online chat with other game players. This is very close to realistic interpretation of violence, as players now play these violent games with other players instead of the computer. More studies should focus on how adolescents justify aggression in the real world, and also what mood they are in when they play these violent games as sometimes if people are angry when they play these games this can be a healthy channel to release their frustration. This gives rise to a circular argument that do aggressive adolescents prefer aggressive activities like violent video games? Or do violent video games induce aggression in adolescents? Future research should focus on experiments and studies which will later answer these questions, so video game violence and the aggression it causes can be modulated in adolescents.
References Anderson, C. A. (2004). An update on the effects of playing violent video games. Journal of Adolescene, 27 (1), 113-122. Barlett, C. P., Harris, R. J., & Bruey, C. (2008). The Effect of the Amount of Blood in a Violent Video Game on Aggression, Hostility, and Arousal. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(3), 529-546. Bensley, L., & Van Eenwyk, J. (2001). Video Games and Real-Life Aggression: Review of the Literature. Journal of Adolescene Health, 29 (4), 244-257. Dill, K. E., & Dill, J. C. (1998). Video game violence: A review of the empirical literature. Journal of Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 3 (4), 407-428. Kirsh, S. J. (2003). The effects of violent video games on dolescents: The overlooked influence of development. Aggression and Violent Behaviour , 8 (4), 377-389. Konijn, E. A., Bijvank, M. N., & Bushman, B. J. (2007). I wish I were a warrior: The role of wishful identification in the effects of violent video games on aggression in adolescent boys. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 43 (4), 1038- 1044. Kooijmans, T. A. (2004, December). Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors During Development. (Rochester Institute of Technology) Retrieved from Personality Research: http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/kooijmans.html Wallenius, M., & Punamaki, R. L. (2008). Digital Game Violence and Direct Aggression in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study of the Roles of Sex, Age, and Parent-Child. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 29, 286-294.
Shivani Handa
Individual Research Assignment
CCtT 205
Violent Video Games Induce Aggressive Behaviour In Adolescents
Violence in video games has come under increasing research attention over the past decade. Researchers have suggested that violent games may cause aggressive behaviour among game players. In the past three decades there has been a widespread expression of concern about violent video games. Violent video games have been suggested as potential contributing factors in recent school shootings by adolescent males who played violent video games prior to committing these crimes
In the past thirty years video games have had severe influences on leisure time of people. First generation video games consisted of mere geometric shapes, which were fully and easily controlled by the game player example ‘Tetris’. However when Sony introduced the play station series in the 1990`s a whole new era of perception of first and third person violence, through enhanced graphics boomed. With the play station portable device and Xbox 360 violent games like Call of duty and Gears of War respectively became more indispensible than i-pods, for adolescents. Adolescence is a time of vulnerability. Due to difficult coping response to physical and emotional biological changes, adolescents are easily influenced by their environment, and peers. The GAM (General Aggression Model) states that violence from video games affects the internal processes of our minds, and leads to decision process that ultimately leads to expression of aggressive behaviours. Violent games induce more aggression in adolescents (Koojmans 2004) Aim of the rest of the paper is to explore the studies that test the hypothesis that violent games induce aggression in adolescents, and report their results and findings.
Several psychological theroies are also relevant to possible role of video game violence in adolescent aggression. An example of this is the social learning theory by Bandura. Albert Bandura`s social learning theory states that children learn what behaviours are appropriate and rewarding in a given situation through observation and reinforcement. For example a child playing an aggressive video game may learn that hitting or even shooting another person is appropriate in a conflict situation and this kind of aggression is likely to be reinforced, when the child is rewarded in the game for expressing aggressive behaviour like killing a character with a chainsaw. (Dill & Dill 1998)
Another study proposes the use of GAM to explore various affects on hostility, physiological arousal, and state aggression in those who played a violent video game with varying levels of blood (maximum, medium, low) in a video game. Researchers conducting this study hypothesized that those who play violent video games with greater level of blood involved will show an increase in aggressive behaviour as opposed to those who are not exposed to a high level of blood content in the game. They tested their hypothesis on a sample of adolescents. Their analysis and results support their hypothesis. The GAM states that personality characteristics such as exposure to violence and situational factors example playing a violent video game influence an individual’s internal state variables like physiological arousal, feelings and thoughts. All these internal state variables lead to prediction of expression of aggressive behaviours. (Barlett 2008). There are also other moderating factors involved in this research which include adolescent thoughts like adolescents who wished they could be characters in video games who indulged in violent play were more aggressive than other game players. Also parent child communication had an impact on adolescents who played violent games. A good health parent child communication, helped adolescents differentiate between the video gaming world and real world, and they realized aggression in real is inappropriate. These moderating factors are discussed in the following paragraphs.
A group of researchers conducted a two year longitudinal study to determine the significance of sex, age, and parent child communication as moderators of direct aggression in violent video games. They picked a sample of 316, 12-15 year old Finnish adolescents to do a follow up survey. Results of their experimentation supported their studies. There was found to be a direct link between poorer parent child communication and higher level of aggression in adolescents. The researchers also found that aggressive behaviour peaked during adolescence and especially more in 13 -15 year old boys engaging in violent video game play. Overall the pattern of display of aggressive behaviour was similar in boys and in girls. Limitations of these studies include over dependence on self reports which challenge the accuracy of the data. However results of the studies are also suggestive that although poor parent child communication strengthens negative affects of aggressive behaviour in adolescents, good parent child communication does not particularly prevent aggressive behaviour. (Wallenius & Punamäki, 2008)
The desire to be associated with violent characters in video games like gears of war, and call of duty, also induce aggressive behaviours in video gamers. Dutch adolescent boys with low education ability (N = 112) were randomly assigned to play a realistic or fantasy violent or nonviolent video game. Next, they competed with an ostensible partner on a reaction time task in which the winner could blast the loser with loud noise through headphones (the aggression measure). Participants were told that high noise levels could cause permanent hearing damage. Habitual video game exposure, trait aggressiveness, and sensation seeking were controlled for. As expected, the most aggressive participants were those who played a violent game and wished they were like a violent character in the game. These participants used noise levels loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage to their partners, even though their partners had not provoked them. These results show that identifying with violent video game characters makes players more aggressive. Players were especially likely to identify with violent characters in realistic games and with games they felt immersed in. (Konijn, Bijvank, & Bushman 2007)
Video game play also varies across adolescence. Some adolescents are more prone to get influenced by violent video games at a certain phase of development, which is different on an individual basis. Also adolescent boys indulge more in violent video game play than adolescent girls. Research shows that adolescent boys display direct aggression and adolescent girls show indirect aggression. Violent video game play coincides with phase of aggressive behaviour in adolescence. Alternate theories even suggest that because adolescents get aggressive, they prefer more aggressive activities; hence they choose to play violent video games. Researchers tested for direct and indirect aggressive behaviour in 11, 14, and 17 year old adolescents in two different conflicting situations. Consistent with gender differences they found that males display more direct aggressive behaviour and females display more indirect aggressive behaviour (Kirsh 2003). Similar to Barlett (2008), Kirsh (2003) uses GAM to explain the consequences of violent video game play as a function of development in adolescents.
An updated meta-analysis reveals that exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and cardiovascular arousal, and to decreases in helping behaviour. Experimental studies reveal this linkage to be causal. Co relational studies reveal a linkage to serious, real-world types of aggression (Anderson 2004).
Overall most researches modulate different independent variables in their study to understand the relation between playing violent videogames and their impact on aggressive behaviour in adolescents. The results of all these studies are consistent based on gender, and culturally across the span of adolescence, and affirm that violent video games induce aggressive behaviour. There is not ample evidence on the influence of violent videogames as a function of development changes across adolescent stages, because it is a recent research topic. Future research should focus on this development perspective which is impacted by extensive playing of violent video games. This is crucial as it helps in understanding the casual relationship between video game violence and adolescent aggression, since aggression varies across different stages of adolescence.
The next steps should focus on gathering data, and conducting studies which explore a new technology in violent video gaming which involves multiplayer online chat with other game players. This is very close to realistic interpretation of violence, as players now play these violent games with other players instead of the computer. More studies should focus on how adolescents justify aggression in the real world, and also what mood they are in when they play these violent games as sometimes if people are angry when they play these games this can be a healthy channel to release their frustration. This gives rise to a circular argument that do aggressive adolescents prefer aggressive activities like violent video games? Or do violent video games induce aggression in adolescents? Future research should focus on experiments and studies which will later answer these questions, so video game violence and the aggression it causes can be modulated in adolescents.
References
Anderson, C. A. (2004). An update on the effects of playing violent video games.
Journal of Adolescene , 27 (1), 113-122.
Barlett, C. P., Harris, R. J., & Bruey, C. (2008). The Effect of the Amount of Blood in a
Violent Video Game on Aggression, Hostility, and Arousal. Journal of Experimental
Social Psychology , 44 (3), 529-546.
Bensley, L., & Van Eenwyk, J. (2001). Video Games and Real-Life Aggression: Review
of the Literature. Journal of Adolescene Health , 29 (4), 244-257.
Dill, K. E., & Dill, J. C. (1998). Video game violence: A review of the empirical
literature. Journal of Aggression and Violent Behaviour , 3 (4), 407-428.
Kirsh, S. J. (2003). The effects of violent video games on dolescents: The overlooked
influence of development. Aggression and Violent Behaviour , 8 (4), 377-389.
Konijn, E. A., Bijvank, M. N., & Bushman, B. J. (2007). I wish I were a warrior: The
role of wishful identification in the effects of violent video games on aggression
in adolescent boys. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology , 43 (4), 1038-
1044.
Kooijmans, T. A. (2004, December). Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and
Behaviors During Development. (Rochester Institute of Technology) Retrieved from
Personality Research: http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/kooijmans.html
Wallenius, M., & Punamaki, R. L. (2008). Digital Game Violence and Direct Aggression
in Adolescence: A Longitudinal Study of the Roles of Sex, Age, and Parent-Child.
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology , 29, 286-294.